With Memorial Day just over in the U.S., I’ve been thinking a lot about what tradition means. The definition of a tradition is a custom that’s passed down from generation to generation, and some of the most common types of traditions revolve around food. Food traditions can encompass all kinds of things like serving turkey on Thanksgiving, or cooking certain meals to celebrate life’s milestones, or even mealtime traditions from every culture that have been passed down from generation to generation.
I think it’s important to hold onto some traditions, as they can remind us of who we are and where we come from. But I also think that it can be useful to adopt other culture’s food traditions as well. Exposing yourself to new cultures and new ideas is never a bad thing, so here are three food traditions from around the world that maybe we should all adopt.
1. Slurping Soup Loudly
In most of the Western world, slurping your soup is akin to chewing with your mouth open – a big no no. It’s considered poor manners, and most people will give you a sideways glance if you happen to do it in person. In Japan, however, it’s completely acceptable to slurp loudly while eating soup. It’s even thought to bring more flavor to the dish when you slurp. It does sound pretty enjoyable to just sit down and be able to loudly enjoy your food in a restaurant (with sauce smeared on your face and a little bit of broth on your lap).
2. The Oldest Eats First
In South Korea, whenever you sit down at a table to eat, no one is allowed to take a first bite until the oldest person at the table has their first bite. And in fact, this is also standard in many parts of Europe too.
I’ll admit – I mostly like this food tradition because I’m the oldest in my family. But, stinginess aside, there is something nice about respecting our elders and letting them lead the way during a meal.
3. Passing Down Family Recipes
A few decades ago, it was pretty common for a mother to pass recipes down to her children. This has become less of a thing over the last few decades, likely owing to the sheer amount of recipes and food information that we can get online in the blink of an eye. But, holding on to your mom’s or your grandmother’s famous pecan pie or chocolate mousse recipe can be a nice way to hold onto your family history. Plus, every generation likes to make a few recipe tweaks of their own, so it can be a really interesting way to see how a family dish changes over the years.
Do you have any food traditions in your family? Tell us about them in the comments!
